Chapter Twenty Flynn

I sat in a chair just off Thor's left as the large meeting hall in front of me began to fill up with people. Well, not people, werewolves. Every single one of them looked my way suspiciously, clearly not recognizing me as one of their pack. More than a few lifted their nose to the air, sniffed, and made a face before going back to whispering amongst themselves.

I'd been dreading this moment all day. Ever since I told Thor about my Nana's story, and he mentioned the fact that he wanted me at the pack meeting that night. We had a nice long talk about what that meant and how it was going to be a tough road for the both of us. But neither of us wanted to leave and there didn't seem to be much choice either than to simply deal with the discomfort. He assured me the pack would come around eventually. But after seeing their faces and the dirty looks, I wasn't so sure.

Still, they filtered in one by one and eventually both Baldr and Loki came to sit on the other side of Thor. Loki glared at me a few times but didn't say a word. Baldr, on the other hand, greeted me warmly and even shook my hand. Obviously, I liked him better. It wasn't every day that your new lover's brother was not only completely okay with you usurping his entire culture but also found the self-control to be friendly. Then again, I had a feeling he was just a decent sort of fella.

Finally, Thor lifted his hands to quiet the room, and I felt my heart rate triple. This was the moment I'd been dreading all day. The reason that I was unable to get any sleep even though I was exhausted.

"Welcome everyone," Thor began, bringing the room to a hush. "First off, I want to apologize for missing the meeting last night. I had some… unexpected business to take care of, but rest assured that I'm at your disposal now."

"What's the human doing here?!" someone in the crowd cried out.

I didn't see who it was, but Thor seemed to zero in on them immediately.

"There are two things we're going to address tonight," Thor replied calmly. "And that is one of them. So, if you'll bear with me for a moment, we'll get started."

Thor glanced my way, giving me a small nod. That was my cue to come join him. I felt my knees shaking as I stood up, but he held out his hand to steady me and guide me over to the podium.

"This human's name is Flynn. He has been a guest at our resort for the past few days after I found him half-dead in a ravine." He looked down at me, then back to the crowd. "When I laid eyes on him under the light of the full moon, I was struck with a feeling, something I couldn't ignore. Usually I'd call an ambulance for a hurt guest and send them on their way. But with Flynn, I couldn't." He paused, taking a deep breath. "Because Flynn… Flynn is my mate ."

The entire room erupted with raucous fury. Both Baldr and Loki were on their feet trying to calm people down while Thor rushed to my side. He put himself between me and the rest of the room, throwing his arms wide just in case someone tried to come for me. I quickly grabbed the back of his jeans, pressing myself close to him.

"Don't worry," he said, his voice rising over the noise. "I'll protect you no matter what."

There was a rush of affection through my chest as I held onto him. I believed what he said, I could hear the conviction in his voice. No matter what happened, I knew he would keep me safe. And that, above all else, was probably the most wonderful feeling I'd ever had.

It took two full minutes for the room to quiet down enough that Thor could talk over them. He urged the wolves to their seats and only when they were all silent did he step away from me and back to the podium.

"I understand you probably have concerns about this courtship considering the long-standing laws of our pack. But I'm here to offer you a different perspective." He paused for a moment, looking out over them. "I met this man under the light of a full moon when my wolf senses were at their strongest. The connection between us is stronger than anything I've ever felt in my entire life. And he's had the correct reaction to my blood proving that he is indeed my mate. The moon goddess has sent him to me, and it is neither my place nor yours to deny such a bond. If it wasn't meant to be, then the signs would not be there."

There was no retort from the audience, but I could tell they were still furious. All of them were thinking quickly, desperately searching for some way to make sure that we couldn't be together. But, when nobody spoke, Thor continued.

"And it seems his coming to us was an act of serendipity," he said. "Because we now know that not only has the Skoll Alpha attacked our own, but he's been trying and has possibly succeeded killing humans as well." A hush fell over the room. "You know as well as I that if anything were to draw the ancient wolf hunters to us, it's the death of a human."

Suddenly everyone was on the edge of their seat.

"Flynn?" he said, holding out a hand. "Will you tell us what your grandmother's story is?"

I nodded, getting up from the chair. All eyes were on me as I stepped over to the podium, taking Thor's place. He stayed right there, his massive hand resting on the small of my back, showing me his support. I looked out over the crowd that I knew hated me even though they were giving me their full attention.

I took a deep breath.

"My Nana has always lived at the bottom of the mountain. Her farm is the small one with the chickens and the extremely rude goats."

Not a single person laughed. Tough crowd. I swallowed hard and gave up on comedy.

"About forty years ago, when my mother was only six years old, she was attacked by a wolf. My Nana and her husband heard it and came running into the yard. There, in broad daylight, they saw a black wolf trying to kill and eat my mother. My grandfather had a gun at the time, and he shot the wolf. The moment the gun went off, Nana had my mother in her arms, making sure she was alright. The wolf had managed to bite her more than once, but not do enough damage to be life threatening.

"However, after the wolf had been shot, it didn't run off. In fact, it came toward my grandparents with a ravenous look in its eyes. Grandpa unloaded his rifle into the creature, and it wasn't until the seventh bullet sank into its flesh that it finally started to grow tired of them. The wolf, finally admitting defeat, ran off toward the woods. However, that's when it did something odd." I took another breath. "My Nana says that it turned to face them once more and it shapeshifted into a naked man with golden eyes. Then he smiled and ran off into the woods toward the eastern mountain."

Everyone was quietly looking at one another, clearly having a hard time believing the story.

"Nana has kept this story to herself for most of her life. And my mother was so traumatized that she doesn't remember a thing. However, to this day Nana believes there are wolves on the mountain. It's one of the reasons my family wanted to put her in a home. They thought she was crazy. But she's right. And not only that, she knows they aren't just ordinary wolves because she's seen this man multiple times over the years. He's snuck into her barns to kill her animals or shown up outside her house. He's always nude, he always has those golden eyes, and she swears there are still scars from where he long-dead husband shot him long ago."

Thor stepped forward, his hand still on my back. "We all know that Tyr rose into his leadership position after killing his own father around that time. We also know that he bares several circular scars across his chest and abdomen consistent with a bullet wound. And we know he is capable of such horrors. It's very unlikely that he's never attacked another human after this incident. In fact, after a quick call down to the local police department, there are a string of missing persons cases going back nearly fifty years. They chalked it up to people getting lost in the wilderness or just running away to start new lives. However, I think we can safely assume that many of them were picked off by Tyr and his pack."

"But where's the proof?" someone called from the crowd.

"The human could be lying!" another added.

"My Nana doesn't lie," I blurted out, defending her in her absence. "And this story was too difficult for her to tell for it to be made up! I've seen her conviction and I know she's telling the truth."

"I believe what he says," Thor added.

"Me too," said Baldr.

"I also believe him."

The three of us turned to look as Loki got up from his seat, all of us shocked to hear his agreement.

"I don't agree with this union any more than you do," Loki said, calling out over the crowd. "Believe me, having a human in our pack is the last thing I want. But I can't push away this new evidence against Tyr just because of my feelings. We all know what he's capable of and humans are far easier to kill than wolves. If he can take down our Alpha, then picking off humans would be far too simple. That monster needs to be stopped once and for all!"

There were cries of agreement and fists raised in the air. Suddenly the room's energy had shifted. No longer were they concerned with me. They wanted blood and revenge. And judging by the look on Thor's face, he was desperately trying to figure out how to get them to see reason instead of blood.

Loki took his seat again looking rather pleased with himself. When I glanced his way, he shot me a glare before turning away. It seemed there was no way him and I were going to be friends. Meanwhile, Thor was shouting over the crowd, trying to get them to calm down. It took a minute or two before he could be heard over the group.

"Listen!" he called, his hands still high in the air. "I know you want revenge and I do too. However, if we march against the Skoll pack, several of you are going to die. Tyr and his wolves are ruthless, and they won't spare a single one of you. In fact, they'll try to take down as many as they can."

"We need to do something !" one of the males near the back cried.

"He's already trying to kill our patrollers! It's just a matter of time until he succeeds!" another called. "My husband nearly died just the other night!"

"I know," Thor replied, still trying to calm them. "And we're going to do something about it."

"What?"

"I'm going to reach out to Tyr and meet him face to face."

"You can't–" Baldr began. "He'll tear you apart!"

"I can and I will ," Thor corrected, glaring at his brother. "Thanks to Baldr, Tyr is injured at the moment. Now that he's seen a show of power himself, maybe he is also capable of seeing reason. I will send communication to him at once, setting up a time and place for us to meet Alpha to Alpha." Thor glanced up at me, his eyes apologetic. "And… if he won't see reason… I'll challenge him for his control over the Skoll pack."

Cheers rose up from the pack. I glanced over at Baldr.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means he'll fight Tyr one on one. To the death ."

My heart sank as I looked back at Thor. I felt a sudden rush of fear and I wanted to cry out, telling him he couldn't do that. He was strong, but Tyr had already killed so many. Thor was a big softie, and I could never imagine him killing anyone. So, the chances of him coming out of that fight alive were already low. But to do it alone with no help… that just seemed like suicide.

"Give me two days," he asked the pack at large. "One to enjoy and one to prepare. After that I'll take him on. I can't allow my pack members to die for some stupid feud between our families. So, it should just be me."

Everyone was quiet but nodding enthusiastically.

"And," he added. "If I come back alive–" He reached over, taking me by the hand. "I will take this human man as my mate."

I could've heard a pin drop in the room as everyone inhaled sharply and went silent. There was a long pause before I heard the rustle of clothing beside me.

"I can accept that," Baldr said at last, getting to his feet. "Who else accepts those terms? Freedom from Tyr for the happiness of our Alpha!"

Several wolves got to their feet. Then more and more. Eventually the entire room was standing, their hands raised in solidarity. Loki, however, was the only person that remained seated. Thor took note of him, sighed, and nodded to the crowd.

"Then it shall be done."